President Donald Trump brought up his investment in Trump International Golf Links & Hotel in Doonbeg during his meeting with Taoiseach Micheál Martin in the Oval Office.
He claimed Irish authorities gave him the approval to carry out work at the resort “in about four weeks” but was told it would take “five to seven years” to get approval from the EU.
“I will hand it to Ireland but I don’t know why the EU had to approve it,” he said.
Trump International Golf Links & Hotel in Doonbeg has had a difficult planning history, even before the US president acquired the property in 2014.
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This is mainly due to its sand dune system fronting on to the Atlantic in west Co Clare and a tiny snail found in its midst.
What have been the main planning obstacles at Doonbeg?
The challenge of building a golf course in such a location was apparent from day one and before a sod was turned in the Greg Norman-designed links.
The owners were soon embroiled in planning difficulties with Clare Co Council while wrestling with restrictive national designations protecting Irish landscape and wildlife – rather than those of the EU.
This flatly contradicts Trump’s assertion (made in a White House press conference with Taoiseach Micheál Martin on Wednesday) that in seeking approval “to do a really big expansion, a beautiful expansion” he got everything approved in Ireland within four weeks and was told approval from the EU would take four to seven years.
But there one aspect which may have added to his animosity towards the EU; Vertigo angustior, a microscopic creature discovered on-site during an environmental impact assessment which is protected under its habitats directive.
Doonbeg’s “grey dunes” – a designation applied to only the oldest intact dunes – and the endangered snail, meant the developer was unable to use much of the property. The former were designated a candidate for special area of conservation (SAC). Some 51 acres of the dunes were permanently fenced off for preservation, while the remainder of the site was designated a natural heritage area.
What has happened since Trump acquired Doonbeg?
After acquiring the property for a reported €15 million, Trump made efforts to redesign the course and expand hotel facilities, which again encountered difficulties. It was also wrestling with coastal erosion and storm damage.
He told reporters at Shannon Airport in 2014 he would be a friend to the Vertigo angustior.
“We have a very good relationship with the people involved with the snail. You see, when they originally came, they said that the snail is endemic to that one site, but it is all over the world.”
Asked if he feared conflict with ecologists or environmentalists, he said: “If the environmentalists kick up, I am not concerned. If we build one of the great courses of the world, that’s a great thing for Ireland and great thing for tourism.”
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In February 2024, it was proposed to change use of Doughmore House and include pickleball courts, a basketball court and two soft play areas. This was subsequently scaled down.
Clare Co Council stalled the project in April 2024, due to the impact it could have on the snail and other planning issues.
A new report on behalf of the hotel said monitoring in 2024 found Vertigo angustior was in terminal decline in the maritime grassland of the dunes – the SAC areas but “conversely, [it] now appears to be more common within the golf course per se”.
Last January the Council gave the green light to the upgrade works after concluding they would not seriously impact the amenities of the property.
